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Sunshine
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since 1999-06-25
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Listening to every heart

0 posted 2002-09-25 08:25 PM




Excerpt from “To a Poet” – 4

You continue to ask “why”
a poet writes,
and yes, yes, I will get to that,
as one fine poet says, “soon”,

but for now,
   now we will discuss,

When.

For when to write is almost
as precariously precious as our reasons why
we write,
   oftentimes going hand in hand,
        certainly one not existing without
             the other,
                    when, why, why, when…

and the when of times will come
upon us
at the most inconvenient of times,
when we are without
pad
pen
napkins
backs of envelopes
pencils
and we fall short of drawing
our own blood
to write upon our own skin,

except in unbalanced thought,

but our hands are too full
of what we are doing
[or we would have found the accoutrements
so required]
so with
the beating of that very blood
banging in our eardrums
over the tense of Now! Now! Write me Now!

Oh!  We grasp at that elusive word, just the
one word that will bring it all
back once we reach our
destination, if not
our destiny,

holding on to it and milking it,
tasting it in our mouth, rolling it over and over
like a mantra, that one word that will
bring forth from the depths
of the well of us
all that would pour forth and nourish
any reader who is desiccated
and waiting,

like a sponge thrown from the sea
and beached,
dried brittle by the harsh sun and
sucked dry from the sands below,

and then like the mighty return
of the wave in the dark of night,
having snuck back up the shoreline
toward the pier,
we crash upon the sponge/paper
and let it drink in all that it waited
for…

for this is the when that comes upon us,
the when of our write,

and like the sponge we swell
with relief
as the words pour forth, and we ebb
and flow with the tide of words
in this when of now!

Now comes elusively,
and our muses are named, graciously,
that we bid them, good eve,
come sit beside me,
stroke my brow
and knead my shoulders,
and lend to my fingertips that taste
of salt,
and sand,
and sea air…

that the gull should fly, now,
that the fog should come in, now,
that this should be the when,
now,
and bid me

write.

© Copyright 2002 Karilea Rilling Jungel - All Rights Reserved
the_loner_23
Member Ascendant
since 2002-06-08
Posts 5479
Jacksonville, Florida, USA
1 posted 2002-09-25 08:30 PM


I love it

Cold hands means a warm heart

Mistletoe Angel
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since 2000-12-17
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Portland, Oregon
2 posted 2002-09-25 08:59 PM




(smiles) Oh my gosh, this is wonderful, this reminded me of a quoe by the poet Carl Sandburg, "Poetry is the synthesis of hyacinths and biscuits.". How nice it would be indeed to wake up in the morning and smell that coffee and smell those biscuis and have that morning muse get to you that only pollinates on with magic when you step out that screen door and smell the flowers, the salt in the beach air, everything, then you hear that drum pound in your ear and soak up all the sunshine and sweat and tears and colors knowing, "Yes, I am poetry!" (smiles) This is marvelous, sweet friend, I LOVE IT, we all love you so much! You have such a beautiful heart, sweet Karilea, thank you for sharing!



May love and light always shine upon you!

Love,
Noah Eaton


"Underneath your clothes there's an endless story..."

Shakira

[This message has been edited by Mistletoe Angel (09-25-2002 09:00 PM).]

Elizabeth Santos
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-11-08
Posts 9269
Pennsylvania
3 posted 2002-09-25 09:09 PM


Only a poet could appreciate this wonderful descrition of the urge to write.
Well done
And fun to read
Thanks, my friend
Liz

bsquirrel
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Member Rara Avis
since 2000-01-03
Posts 7855

4 posted 2002-09-25 10:47 PM


Wow!
I ......

Don't know what to say
to do this justice.
Thank you thank you
thank you.

(for writin' it all down)

Enchantress
Member Empyrean
since 2001-08-14
Posts 35113
Canada eh.
5 posted 2002-09-25 11:00 PM


And I know that perhaps this is exactly the way it happens....yes....of course.
Excellent write!
~Hugs~

~ Time has cast a spell on you
  So you won't ever forget me ~

Kielo
Senior Member
since 2002-02-11
Posts 1109

6 posted 2002-09-25 11:05 PM


Exactly! So incredibly true! LOL
Bridget Shenachie
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since 2002-01-23
Posts 1056
Kansas USA
7 posted 2002-09-26 01:25 AM




Shenachie

Cpat Hair
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Member Patricius
since 2001-06-05
Posts 11793

8 posted 2002-09-26 08:21 AM


(smiling) Introspective and inspirational... as with most all the things you write the underlying truths are there for us all to see and learn from..

wonderful works my friend

Earth Angel
Member Empyrean
since 2002-08-27
Posts 40215
Realms of Light
9 posted 2002-09-26 11:03 AM


Well, you've done something (yet again!) that you should be extremely proud of dear poetess. Thank you for putting into words what so many of us, who struggle with pen and paper, experience---the primal urge to write--to express our thoughts and feelings, record events, describe the world around us....

Please don't say this is the end of your series! I want to read on---and don't you feel the primal urge to write on?!? hehe

Thank you once more!

Linda

NewEnglandlazurlu
Member Rara Avis
since 2002-01-04
Posts 7470
A Mountain Paradise
10 posted 2002-09-26 02:40 PM


Oh Karilea, how much I can relate to this urge that sometimes becomes unbearable. And at my age, with no paper, pen or computer, I cannot always remember that prize winning poem. Short term memory going.  :-)  The struggle to recall that one word that will bring it all back, can be torturous.

Or equally distressing, waking in the middle of the night and writing something that at 2 a.m. seems nothing short of  brilliant only to be read in the daylight and is dreadful.

Ah, the life of a writer.  Thank you for penning what many of us feel but did not express.   Hugs, Marti

[This message has been edited by NewEnglandlazurlu (09-26-2002 03:00 PM).]

Bill Charles
Member Patricius
since 2000-07-11
Posts 10619
highways, & byways, for now
11 posted 2002-09-26 07:27 PM


Sunshine - yes indeed, I believe you have found out the answers...

BC

vandana
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Member Patricius
since 1999-10-22
Posts 10463
USA
12 posted 2002-09-26 07:28 PM


yes nice
Mysteria
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Member Laureate
since 2001-03-07
Posts 18328
British Columbia, Canada
13 posted 2002-09-26 07:33 PM


So true~I was busy pricing things for a tag sale, and felt "it come" so ran inside and literally posted it and up it went.  I have been known to write words on my thumb to save for later.  Karilea, you have given the why, and the way to young writers, well done!

Howdy Neighbour
     
Sharon  

Kielo
Senior Member
since 2002-02-11
Posts 1109

14 posted 2002-09-26 08:34 PM


*points up at previous post*
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